1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to golf instruction, and in particular to an apparatus and method for teaching golf.
2. Background of the Invention
It is generally accepted that golf first emerged in Scotland around 1100 AD. It was based on a Roman game called paganica, which used a bent stick and a leather ball stuffed with feathers. Golf was banned in Scotland from 1457 until 1502 by King James II because its popularity threatened archery practice, which was necessary for national defense. In 1502 England and Scotland signed a treaty of perpetual peace, and the play of golf resumed.
Until 1848 golf was played with a feather-stuffed leather ball called xe2x80x9cthe featheryxe2x80x9d. In 1848 golfers started using a solid gutta-percha ball called xe2x80x9cthe guttyxe2x80x9d, and in 1899 an American inventor introduced the liquid-center golf ball.
The oldest golf club in continuous existence is the Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews, located in Edinburgh, Scotland (established 1744). This club established many of the standards of the game, including fixing the length of the course at 18 holes. The Royal Montreal Golf Club was established in 1873, and ranks as the oldest North American golf club. In the United States, the St. Andrews Golf Club was established in Yonkers, N.Y. in 1888, and was the first United States golf club.
Today, more people play golf than any other outdoor sport. More than 16 million people play golf in the United States alone every year. The game has become popular in many places, including the United States, Canada, England, Western Europe, and Japan.
Conventional golf courses feature either nine or 18 holes. A round of golf consists of 18 holes played in a pre-determined sequence. During play, golfers attempt to keep the ball on the fairway, a stretch of mowed grass between the tee-off site and the putting green, which contains the hole into which the ball must be sunk. The edges of the fairways frequently have obstacles called bunkers. These bunkers may be a mound or a sand trap, or sometimes a body of water such as a stream, pond, lake, river or ocean.
About half the holes of an 18-hole course are medium holes, and measure from approximately 280-455 yards in length. The other holes are divided between short holes (less than 280 yards) and long holes (longer than 485 yards). Consequently, 18-hole golf courses occupy between 90 and 250 acres.
The large area of ground required for golf courses and the length of the individual holes necessitates a smooth, accurate swing on the part of the golfer. Ideally, the golf club should swing within a plane containing the golf ball to be hit, from initial address of the ball, through back-swing, through the forward part of the swing, and finally throughout the follow-through portion of the stroke. This plane is referred to as the xe2x80x9cperfect swing planexe2x80x9d, and it is important that the golfer keep the golf club within the perfect swing plane throughout the stroke as much as possible, in order to maximize the solidity and accuracy of the shot.
One problem associated with teaching golf students to swing within the perfect swing plane is the invisible nature of this plane. The student is told to keep his swing within a plane containing the ball, yet this plane is invisible and, for some students, difficult to visualize. In addition, due to the invisible nature of the plane, it is difficult for the student to tell if his swing is indeed within the perfect swing plane, and consequently it is hard to make appropriate swing corrections to advance in the learning process.
One solution to the problem of student visualization of the perfect swing plane is to attach lights to golf clubs or other swingable devices, and have the student watch the lights. A variety of light types have been proposed for this purpose, including incandescent, stroboscopic, and laser.
Existing Designs
A number of patents have been granted which teach a light mounted on the butt end of a golf club or other swingable device. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,693,479, 4,913,441, 5,544,888 and 5,655,973 were granted to McGwire, Freer, Pellegrini and McPherson, Jr. respectively for butt-mounted lights. While these designs permitted the student to visually observe the swing plane while the butt end of the club or other swingable device was pointing down towards the ground, these devices made no provision for tracing the swing plane during that part of the swing that the head end of the golf club or other swingable device was pointing toward the ground (as during the forward portion of the swing). In addition, none of these inventions provided a clearly defined target line against which to compare the butt-mounted light tracing.
A second school of thought relating to club-mounted lights taught lights either mounted in the head end of a golf club, or lights mounted on the shaft pointing downwards, toward the golf club head. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,971,328, 5,000,456, 5,161,802, 5,467,991 and 5,472,204 were granted Hemberg, Rabold, Daechsel, White IV et al., and English et al. for such designs. While these designs permitted the student to visually observe the swing plane while the head end of the club or other swingable device was pointing down towards the ground, these devices made no provision for tracing the swing plane during that part of the swing that the butt end of the golf club or other swingable device was pointing toward the ground (as during the backswing and follow-through portions of the swing). In addition, none of these inventions provided a clearly defined target line against which to compare the light tracing.
Still another approach involved mounting lights to the top of a golf club head, so the golf student could more easily observe the trajectory of the golf club head during a swing, especially under dim lighting conditions. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,288,080 and 5,470,072 were granted Tice and Cunningham respectively for such devices. These designs did little more than highlight the golf club head to facilitate its visibility. In addition, they did not indicate the swing plane of the entire golf club, but rather the swing arc of the head only, thus providing potentially misleading information to the golfer.
Cunningham ""072 additionally taught a back-lit silicone pad against which to compare the golf club head trajectory in close vicinity to a ball target. This pad suffered from a number of disadvantages. The pad was of only short length, and thus rendered it""s use effective during only a short arc of the swing. In addition, the pad was cumbersome to transport, and complex, being electrically back-lit.
McCardle was granted U.S. Pat. No. 5,269,528 for a cylinder which incorporated a light at each end. While this device allowed the cylinder light tracings to be observed from two ends of the cylinder, no provision was taught to allow the lights to be mounted to a conventional golf club. Thus, a swing practiced with the ""528 cylinder taught the student how to swing the ""528 cylinder, not how to swing a conventional golf club. In addition, no clearly defined target line against which to compare the light tracings was disclosed.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and method for teaching golf which teaches a golf student to swing within the perfect swing plane. Design features allowing this object to be accomplished include a handle laser, a shaft laser, and a retractable target line having an optically reflective tape with centerline and golf ball image. Advantages associated with the accomplishment of this object include increased solidity and accuracy of golf shots.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and method for teaching golf which can be used in conjunction with existing golf clubs, without the need to modify the existing golf club in any way. Design features allowing this object to be accomplished include a handle laser clamp having a handle laser clamp aperture sized to grip a conventional golf club handle, and a shaft laser clamp having a first handle laser clamp aperture sized to grip a conventional golf club shaft. Benefits associated with the accomplishment of this object include increased flexibility in swinging golf clubs, and improved learning and transferability of learning results, because the actual club used to teach will be later used during play. In addition, no modifications need be made to existing golf equipment, such as drilling holes, etc., thus maintaining the integrity and balance of the golf clubs used.
It is still another object of this invention to provide an apparatus and method for teaching golf which is quick and simple to install and uninstall. Design features enabling the accomplishment of this object include a handle laser clamp having a handle laser clamp aperture sized to grip a conventional golf club handle, a shaft laser clamp having a first handle laser clamp aperture sized to grip a conventional golf club shaft and a retractable target line with lock. Advantages associated with the realization of this object include ease of use and convenience in storage and transportation.
It is yet another object of this invention to provide an apparatus and method for teaching golf which is inexpensive and readily available. Design features allowing this object to be achieved include the use of components made of off-the-shelf and readily available materials. Benefits associated with reaching this objective include reduced cost, and hence increased availability.